Cuban standout met his matches but never wilted

Saturday

Leinier Dominguez Perez of Cuba was on a tear as he went undefeated into the final three rounds of the recent super-elite Corus A tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands.

He finally succumbed, dropping two of his last three games to finish in a tie for fifth in the 14-player event.

But those weren't ordinary losses. They were winner-take-all, head-to-head combat with two teens: Magnus Carlsen of Norway and Sergei Karjakin of Ukraine, both potential world champions.

If Dominguez Perez, who is 25, had won either game -- and he could have taken both -- he would have finished first in the stellar event.

It's refreshing to have young players who engage each other in the final rounds with the fire and passion of flamenco dancers. No measured waltzes to a draw for these guys.

They remind me of the retired Garry Kasparov, who often devoured touted grandmaster opponents in the late stages of important tournaments. His mere presence at the board was sufficient to inflict fear, even mental paralysis, on those who faced him.

It's a joy to watch games played with gusto and courage. I'm grateful that computers and databases haven't taken the passion out of modern chess.

Shelby Lyman is a Basic Chess Features columnist.

Beginner's corner

Hint & explanation:

Sacrifice and mate.

Solution to Beginner's corner:

1. Qg1ch! 2. Kxg1 Re1 mate.

How the masters play

Below is a win by Antoaneta Stefanova against Florian Armbrust from the Gibtelecom tournament at Gibraltar.